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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30064299">Hidden Wounds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelous_times/pseuds/marvelous_times'>marvelous_times</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Injury, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Gen, Hurt Sokka (Avatar), Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Post-Episode: s03e14-15 The Boiling Rock, Pre-Episode: s03e16 The Southern Raiders, Protective Toph Beifong, Stubborn Katara (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko is trying his best, i know katara seems awful but dw we love katara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:48:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,720</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30064299</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelous_times/pseuds/marvelous_times</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuko knows that Katara is angry at him (and she's right to). He's wronged both her and the rest of the Gaang more times than he can count, and he's been working his hardest to earn acceptance and forgiveness.<br/>But when Sokka gets injured while they're going hunting, and it's Zuko's fault, he knows he doesn't have the right to ask Katara for help or healing. </p><p>Or:<br/>Both Zuko and Sokka get injured while they're hunting. Katara's pissed at Zuko, Toph is concerned for the firebender, and Zuko won't ask for help. Zuko whump.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang &amp; Toph Beifong &amp; Katara &amp; Sokka &amp; Zuko, Katara &amp; Sokka (Avatar), Katara &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Sokka &amp; Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>302</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Ambushed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>***this fic takes place post-Boiling Rock but before Katara and Zuko bond in The Southern Raiders. Also, (this is canon divergence but) Hakoda and Suki brought all the younger kids somewhere else after Boiling Rock so the ONLY CHARACTERS are Zuko, Sokka, Toph, Katara, and Aang.***</p><p>Sadly, I own none of the characters. Thanks for reading!</p><p>EDIT: I just re-read it and fixed a few of the grammatical errors :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey, Sparky, wake up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko held back a groan as he pried his eyes opened, the harsh sunlight making him cover his eyes in protest. After a brief second to compose himself, the banished prince sat up and looked at Toph.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on?” Zuko asked roughly. “Are we under attack?” He listened intently for a moment, but frowned in confusion when he heard nothing but the birds chirping and Appa chomping on some hay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blind earthbender rolled her eyes, looking at a spot just above Zuko’s head. “No, but Sokka’s going hunting and he wants you to go with him,” she replied, then added bluntly, “but he’s too much of a wimp to wake you up himself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not true!” Sokka yelped from a few feet away. “Toph just wanted to be the one to do it! I’m not a wimp!” He stood up from behind a large rock that he’d clearly been cowering behind. Zuko heard him muttering “firebenders” and “not getting a face full of flames again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko did his signature (almost) smile/grimace, and pushed himself into a standing position. He stretched for a moment, his back popping as he arched it. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to go hunting right now?” he asked, shrinking back slightly when an annoyed Katara glanced over at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is that supposed to mean?” she snapped. Zuko flinched as she glared at him; he knew he deserved the rage but it didn’t make dealing with it any easier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko blinked; he hadn’t meant to offend Katara but it seemed that she took his comment personally. “I just- the Fire Nation is on high alert because of what happened at Boiling Rock, and there’s been disturbances here because of the assassin-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-that you sent after us,” Katara hissed. “We need food, and I know maybe your lazy royal fire prince ass might not be used to hunting and working, but you’ve got to contribute too. Or, you know, you can just leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko flushed slightly and sighed. “Sorry,” he muttered, missing the glare that Sokka sent his sister. He bowed his head quietly, ignoring the twinge in his scar that he felt whenever somebody yelled at him. It wasn’t as bad as it used to be when he’d been full of anger; back then, it was as if he could feel his internal flame scorching his face every time he was mad. Now, however, his scar only ached a bit, likely because his flame was no longer fueled by rage. Zuko sighed again and put his head in his hands. Katara had the right to be angry at him, but it didn’t make it any easier when he’d worked so hard the past few weeks to earn their trust and possibly their… friendship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeez, Sugar Queen, calm down,” Toph muttered. “We need Sparky here to teach Aang firebending, unless you’ve forgotten?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko’s heart sank when he heard this. Yes, he was aware that he was here to teach Aang firebending, and that was the only reason. It would do him good to remember that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t call me that,” Katara shot back angrily before storming away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Somebody must’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed,” Toph sang teasingly. She patted Zuko sympathetically, eyes narrowing slightly when she felt his body stiffen at the touch. “Don’t worry, Sparky,” the earthbender said. “Katara’s just angry and missing her dad again. I like having you here! And Twinkletoes says you’re a great firebending teacher, so you’re not </span>
  <em>
    <span>entirely </span>
  </em>
  <span>useless.” She punched him in the arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Katara’s right,” Zuko said softly. “I need to pull my weight more. I still have to make up for everything I’ve done to you guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not what I meant!” Toph called, but the banished prince was already walking away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he passed Sokka, Zuko said gruffly, “When are we leaving?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka scratched his head. “Uhm, now?” he said. “It’ll be fun!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them grabbed some supplies and mounted Appa, steering him over to a densely wooded area. As they hopped off of Appa, Sokka continued to chatter excitedly. “So, then, I told Katara, ‘I guess I’m just too </span>
  <em>
    <span>cool</span>
  </em>
  <span>’. Get it? Zuko?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko snapped his head aside to look Sokka in the eye. “Sorry, uh, yes?” the confused firebender replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka sighed. “You know, Zuko, you can relax a bit. We’re here to have some fun!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m here to go hunting and get food for everyone,” Zuko replied gruffly. He knew he had to work harder to prove he was worthy and truly apologize to Katara for everything he’d done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, man, you do realize that Katara was being harsh, right?” Sokka said, narrowing his eyes as he studied Zuko’s face. “You don’t have anything to prove to us. You- you risked everything to help me break my father and my g- uh, my Suki out of prison.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was my fault they were in there in the first place,” Zuko growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka raised his eyebrows. “I mean… was it? Because I think th-” He snapped his jaw shut as Zuko held up his hand, signalling the Water Tribe warrior to listen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you hear that?” Zuko hissed. Sokka nodded, and the two of them crept along toward the disturbance. As they approached the clearing where the rustling was, Zuko and Sokka made eye contact and jumped out at the same time (Sokka barely managing to withhold his battle cry). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They surprised a massive puma goat that had been foraging for food. It reared back on its hind legs and roared at the pair. Sokka’s battle cry finally manifested in the form of a surprised, strangled yelp of sorts, but he remained determined and started setting the net as Zuko corralled the puma goat into a corner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, buddy, but we gotta eat,” Zuko growled as he shot blasts of fire to keep the massive creature contained. He felt a bit bad for killing an innocent creature, but the image of Katara’s furious glare caused him to power through, creating a wall of fire with a renewed strength. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka finally managed to net the beast and he quickly and cleanly delivered a killing blow. As the pair paused for a moment, catching their breath, Zuko sent a quick silent prayer of thanks to Agni for their success and Sokka bowed his head in respect as the beast let out its final breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them silently worked to clean up their kill and package the puma goat. Both were satisfied at the size of the creature, as they knew it would feed them (minus Aang, who refused to eat meat) for a few days. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they finished bundling up their kill, Sokka and Zuko began the laborious process of carrying the puma goat back to where Appa was waiting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’d call that a successful hunt if I’ve ever seen one,” Sokka drawled, trying and failing to hide his excitement at such a large kill. He glanced over at Zuko, who was trudging along silently and kept on shifting the weight so he’d be carrying more than Sokka. “Dude. Come on! You can celebrate, this is an epic kill.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko forced a miniscule smile onto his face, but he knew that it wouldn’t be enough to earn Katara’s forgiveness. “It’s a start,” was all the firebender said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka scoffed. “It’s more than a st-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Over there! I knew I heard someone!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka and Zuko whipped around as a trio of Fire Nation soldiers burst into the clearing, their eyes widening as they saw Sokka and Zuko. “Agni… it’s the banished prince!” one of the soldiers breathed, then yelled, “We found them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko took a step back as nine more soldiers appeared in the clearing. He knew that him and Sokka could handle themselves against three Fire Nation soldiers, but twelve… twelve might be too many. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get to Appa as quickly as you can,” Zuko muttered. “I’ll hold them off.” The banished prince took a step back, bracing himself for firebending attacks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the soldier closest to them. “Prince Zuko,” the man drawled, “or should I say… ex-prince Zuko. We didn’t expect to see you here.” The soldier looked at his companions, who surrounded Zuko and Sokka and lifted their spears and bows at the ready. “We thought for sure that you would’ve high-tailed it out of the Fire Nation after what you did… but maybe you’re just eager for a matching scar on your other side.” As he finished speaking, the man’s hand cradled a flame and he stalked toward Zuko. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko stiffened, instinctively turning the scarred side of his face away from the soldier. As the man laughed, Zuko turned and shot a blast of fire at the men approaching Sokka. “Get out of here, Sokka!” Zuko yelled as he began dueling the lead soldier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka hesitated. He wasn’t going to leave Zuko, of course, but all he had to defend himself with was a spear and a hunting knife. The Water Tribe warrior turned to see a trio of Fire Nation soldiers approaching him, swords at the ready. The nearest soldier lifted his sword to hit Sokka but the teenager ducked down and rolled behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned and swept the legs out from one of the soldiers, snagging his net around the soldier’s leg and using it to tangle up one of the other men as well. As the two of them struggled, Sokka whipped around to face the third soldier but let out a squeak of surprise as his throat was grabbed from behind, a muscular arm wrapping around his neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s the Avatar?” the soldier hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka froze, his body growing limp as he stopped struggling. He’d really hoped that these soldiers wouldn’t make the connection between him and Zuko and Aang. “Um… who?” Sokka asked dumbly, unsure of what to say. His arm was inching toward the knife that he’d strapped in his belt, and he snatched it just as dark spots began to appear in his vision. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The teenager twisted and sliced the soldier’s hand, catching the older man by surprise and giving Sokka the time and room to wiggle away from the arm around his throat. He gasped for air before rolling out of the way as the soldier swung a large, gleaming sword toward him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Sokka yelped as he dove out of the way, the sword barely nicking his arm. “Not nice!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man continued to swing at Sokka as the teenager dodged his attacks frantically, blocking a few with his spear. This stopped, however, when a particularly enraged attack from the soldier resulted in his spear snapping in half. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was my favorite spear!” Sokka fumed as he hefted a tree branch and swung at the soldier, knocking the armored man off of his feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Zuko was fending off nine soldiers, three of which were fairly skilled firebenders. He dodged several attacks before one of the men managed to slice a large gash across his side. Zuko let out a soft hiss of pain before retaliating with a blast of fire and a ferocious punch to one of the firebenders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first firebender collapsed, out cold. They continued to fight, exchanging blows. Zuko was holding his own fairly well; he’d knocked out two more soldiers with the butt of his sword, leaving him facing six soldiers, only one of them a firebender. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately for Zuko, he was surrounded, exhausted, and dripping blood from a deep wound in his abdomen. As the teenager turned to deflect a blast of fire from the firebender, one of the other soldiers smashed Zuko’s kneecap with the hilt of his sword, causing Zuko’s leg to buckle and leaving the teenager on one knee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko growled and managed to produce a wave of fire so strong that it sent the firebender flying off of his feet and colliding into a tree behind him, out cold. As Zuko turned, a brutal kick to his ribs left the banished prince groaning on the ground. He hissed as another soldier kicked him, this time right on the bloody gash from earlier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not so tough now, are you?” one of the soldiers jeered. She laughed as she grabbed Zuko’s throat and lifted him up, her iron grip unforgiving as he struggled to breathe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wanted dead or alive,” another soldier spat as Zuko struggled weakly. “Firelord Ozai probably wants ‘im alive, though, so he can have a go at ‘im in front of everyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko narrowed his eyes at the mention of his father, but stayed silent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The soldier holding Zuko scoffed. “Kill his friend, and chain him up,” she ordered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko’s eyes widened as two of the soldiers went and helped to grab Sokka, who’d actually held his own quite well against the trio of Fire Nation soldiers. Sokka struggled and the soldier retailed by smashing the butt of his sword against his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Zuko shouted as Sokka sagged in the arms of his captors, clearly having been knocked out. The banished prince gasped as black spots danced in his vision and one of the soldiers punched him in the face. He struggled again, nearly escaping from his captor’s grasp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span> Stop moving </span>
  </em>
  <span>!” the female soldier yelled before throwing Zuko down to the ground and levelling the point of her sword at his throat. Zuko gasped for a moment as the new finger-shaped bruises on his throat throbbed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will come with us quietly or I will kill your friend right now,” she threatened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t-” Zuko gasped, only to flinch as the soldier holding Sokka snapped his right wrist. The sickening </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack</span>
  </em>
  <span> echoed through the clearing. “I’ll come! Just let him go!” the firebender yelled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He held still and let three of the soldiers grab his arms, but froze when the female soldier spoke again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kill the water-peasant and dump his body… anywhere, really. I don’t care.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko growled and, with more energy and ferocity than he knew he possessed, shot a blistering blast of fire into the faces of his captors. They dropped him with a yelp, clutching their heads as Zuko collapsed onto the ground. He forced himself to his feet, his injured left knee trembling as struggled to bear his weight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two remaining soldiers looked terrified as Zuko limped toward them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let go of him,” Zuko said, fury radiating from every syllable. He worked to hide his concern as he took in Sokka’s pale face, the trail of blood trickling from a blooming bruise on his forehead, and the odd angle of his friend’s wrist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“G-get any closer and we’ll- we’ll kill him!” the female soldier said, her voice now frantic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko glared at them and, without any further thought, sent two deadly accurate tendrils of flame at the Fire Nation soldiers. He dove forward to catch Sokka as both soldiers went limp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gritting his teeth, Zuko pushed himself upward as he carefully supported Sokka’s head. After checking the other teenager’s pulse, he limped toward Appa, only relaxing once Sokka was safely on the bison. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko inspected the gash in his side before hastily bandaging it with scraps from the back of his shirt. He’d have to take care of this one himself, there was no way Katara was going to-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The scarred teenager froze. Katara was going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill </span>
  </em>
  <span>him. He’d let Sokka get seriously hurt- almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>killed </span>
  </em>
  <span>- and it was all because of his problems. He sighed and shook his head furiously before crawling over to Sokka. The Water Tribe boy wasn’t looking too good; his face was paler than Zuko had ever seen and his wrist looked awful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn it,” Zuko muttered as he tried and failed to wake Sokka up. Appa bellowed as the pair touched down beside Katara, Aang, and Toph. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Took you guys long enough-” Katara began, before she took in the sight of Zuko dragging Sokka off of Appa’s back. “</span>
  <em>
    <span> Sokka? </span>
  </em>
  <span>What happened?” She whirled to face Zuko, her tone dangerously calm. “What the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell </span>
  </em>
  <span>happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fire Nation soldiers attacked,” Zuko rasped as he gently laid Sokka down. He looked down, ashamed. “I- they attacked because of me.” He couldn’t meet Katara’s eyes as he swayed slightly, fighting to stay on his feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara’s eyes narrowed in anger as she glared at Zuko. “Get out of my sight,” she spat before turning to inspect Sokka’s injuries. “Aang! Toph! Get over here </span>
  <em>
    <span>now! </span>
  </em>
  <span>I need your help to set his wrist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toph frowned as she felt Zuko stumble away. His gait was uneven as if he was limping, and both his breathing and his heart rate were off. “You good, Sparky?” she hollered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s fine,” Katara cut in scathingly. “Sokka’s the one who’s injured, Toph, and I need your help now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, calm down,” Toph muttered as she made her way toward Aang and Katara. She couldn’t shake the feeling, though, that something was off with Zuko.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’ll be okay, right, Katara?” Aang asked anxiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tui and La, he better be,” Katara replied as she started healing her brother. After they set his wrist and she’d healed the cut on his head (which was fortunately fairly superficial), Katara sat down with a sigh. “He’s probably going to have a fantastic headache when he wakes up, and his wrist will need a few more days and healing sessions to be good again, but he’s going to be fine,” Katara announced gratefully. Toph and Aang let out sighs of relief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Zuko had collapsed to the ground of his tent. After a moment of rest, the teenager forced himself to sit up and inspect his wounds. His voice was raspier than usual because of the abuse to his throat, but that (and the accompanying bruises) would be better in a few days. His knee wasn’t too bad and would just need some rest, but at least two of his ribs were definitely broken. Zuko gritted his teeth as he unwound the cloth he’d tied around his abdomen and dabbed the bloody gash in his side with a hot rag in an attempt to clean it. The cut was deep and the bruising around it made it even more sensitive to his touch. The teenager sighed as he wrapped it with clean bandages, barely managing to withhold a yelp as he pulled them tight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko slowly pulled on a clean shirt (which was, luckily enough, dark red and would hide any bloodstains perfectly). He knew he’d have to take a quick rest before he continued working tomorrow; he now had even more to prove to Katara and he was planning on going hunting again first thing in the morning. Exhausted and in pain, the teenager closed his eyes and hoped for a calm night of sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything will be better in the morning,” Zuko muttered to himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, he couldn’t sense the infection creeping through his body yet. Little did he know, the morning was going to be much, much worse.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for reading! I wrote this when I really should be working on my two Spider-Man-related fics but, uh, I just finished binging ATLA and I couldn't help myself. Zuko's character arc is one of the most beautiful I've ever witnessed! Leave a kudos or comment if you enjoyed! Constructive criticism is welcomed!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Unsteady</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please, Father!” Zuko pleaded. “I’m sorry- I’m sorry, I won’t do it again-”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>His father stood over him menacingly. “Get up,” he hissed.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Zuko bowed his head. “Father,” he began, his voice shaking, “I won’t fight you.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Ozai growled and grabbed Zuko’s hair, forcing the boy’s eyes to meet his own. “You will learn respect. And suffering will be your teacher.” His father stroked his cheek for a moment before setting his other hand ablaze, the heat scorching Zuko’s face.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Zuko screamed. It was so warm- hot- blazing fire, heat-</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sparky!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko shot up, breathing heavily as he slammed his eyes shut. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spark- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Zuko</span>
  </em>
  <span>, are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko groaned before forcing his eyes open. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied, clearing his throat roughly. “I’m fine,” he repeated. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead and the firebender shivered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph stuck her head into his tent; she’d been outside before, probably walking outside of his tent when she’d sensed him moving. “Are you sure? You were… mumbling and moving a lot,” the blind earthbender said hesitantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just a weird dream,” Zuko rasped before turning away. He took a few deep breaths and shivered once again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph frowned. “You’re really warm,” she said uncertainly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Firebenders run hot,” Zuko responded automatically. “I’m fine, okay?” he repeated for a third time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you say so,” the younger girl hesitated before adding, “you really should talk to Katara if-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to bother her,” Zuko snapped. “She’s busy enough taking care of Sokka.” The firebender paused before slowly standing up. “How is he, anyways?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Snoozles will be fine,” Toph said dismissively, but Zuko caught a slight waver in her voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko glared at the earthbender, and Toph looked down as if she could sense his gaze. “His wrist will need a bit of time, and Katara healed the cut on his head and helped with some of the bruising, but he- he hasn’t woken up yet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko swore violently and took a step forward, swaying as his head spun. “I’m going to go help,” he muttered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph was unimpressed. “You can’t help heal him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can help cook and hunt,” Zuko shot back before pushing past Toph, his footsteps uneven.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph sat down and sighed as she felt the firebender walk away unsteadily. She heard Zuko pass Katara and mumble a respectful “good morning” before flinching away as Katara snapped at him to go gather food. The earthbender clenched her fist angrily. She knew Katara hated Zuko- anyone could see that- but she truly didn’t understand why. Sure, he’d apparently chased them around the world for a while, but he was being completely truthful when he’d said that he had changed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And yes, maybe Zuko came off as a little rough or harsh, but Toph knew that deep down he was a soft, sensitive person. He’d felt awful for burning her feet and had offered to help Toph several times afterwards. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> he had nightmares about some bad experience from his past; although Toph didn’t know what happened to Zuko, she assumed it had to do with his scar.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His scar.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was another thing that Toph didn’t know about. She’d heard the others mention it several times but, obviously, hadn’t seen it herself. She was so desperate to feel it, though, but even Toph wasn’t blunt enough to ask Zuko about it. Yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sokka!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph snapped out of her reverie as Aang’s excited yell echoed through the clearing. She jumped up and ran towards Sokka, who had evidently just woken up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, my head,” Sokka groaned as he squinted in the sunlight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re awake!” Toph exclaimed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” Katara asked gently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sokka lifted his arm weakly to block the sun. “Like hell,” he grumbled. “Did Appa happen to sit on my head while I was asleep?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Katara let out a soft, relieved laugh. “You got hit in the head pretty hard when you were out hunting with Zuko,” she informed him. “You probably have a concussion.” The waterbender leaned closer, inspecting her brother’s pupils. “No, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> have a concussion,” she amended. “You’re just going to have to- what are you doing?!?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She pushed Sokka back down as he weakly struggled to sit up. “You need to rest!” she insisted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sokka ignored his sister. “Where’s Zuko?” he demanded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s out hunting,” Katara responded, bewildered. Her expression turned angry. “I was done with him moping around and contributing nothing, so I told him to get us some food.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But he’s okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, he’s fine,” Katara snapped. “You were the one who got injured, not him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do you ask?” Toph blurted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because he-” Sokka started as he tried to sit up again. He snapped his mouth shut as he grew pale and let out a low moan. “Tui and La, that hurts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think you should rest,” Katara said anxiously. She helped her brother lie down slowly. “I’ll do a healing session on your head and then your wrist, but it’s okay if you fall asleep.” She started to work, the mesmerizing glow of the water illuminating Sokka’s pale face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph sat down next to the pair, deep in thought. Sokka obviously thought that something was wrong with Zuko, which meant that he had probably seen him get injured. But if it was bad, Zuko would’ve told one of them about his injury.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph facepalmed. “Stupid Toph,” she muttered. “Of course he wouldn’t.” This </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>Zuko they were talking about, after all. She got to her feet. “I’m going to go find Zuko,” the earthbender announced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Katara rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you bother,” she said under her breath as she turned away from Toph.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The earthbender stuck her tongue out at Katara and stormed away. Sokka’s slow and steady breathing signaled that he was already asleep and Aang was busy combing Appa, so she was going to go find Zuko herself. </span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span> Zuko had trudged quite a ways away from the group and was creeping through the dense forest. His breaths were ragged, and with every inhale his ribs burned. Every movement caused the inflamed laceration on his abdomen to flare up in pain, and the firebender felt unsteady and off-balance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe it’s infected</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought, before dismissing the idea. Even if it was he’d just have to push through the pain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko stiffened as he heard a faint sound. The firebender forced himself to crouch down low and creep toward the noise, which sounded like an animal foraging through leaves or bushes. A deep growl reached his ears, and Zuko dropped even lower to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To his surprise, a massive komodo rhino burst through the undergrowth. “Whoa!” Zuko cried. It looked as if it had once been domesticated but had escaped; the creature’s sides were ungroomed and covered in mud, and scratches decorated its face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko scrambled back as the creature approached. While he’d have loved to bring this much meat back to the Gaang, even Zuko was aware that he wouldn’t be able to take down a komodo rhino without any hunting gear or weapons besides his firebending and a knife. It’s skin was too thick and would make the beast resistant to his flames. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko dove out of the way as the creature charged, scrambling to his feet despite the near-unbearable pain in his side. He hit the ground again as the beast turned and charged right beside the firebender. Zuko grunted as his wound scraped a particularly sharp rock. Still, Zuko managed to spring to his feet and sprint away, losing the komodo rhino as he scrambled up a tree. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The banished prince closed his eyes and let a quiet groan escape. His face was drenched in sweat but as he lifted his arm to wipe it, a bolt of blinding pain shot through his body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Agni,” Zuko muttered as he tenderly placed his hand on the bandages below the cut. The firebender cursed again when he pulled his hand out and it was stained red. Zuko shifted again, ready to swing off of his perch, but his head spun violently and he slumped back down onto the branch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe I’ll just… stay here for a while,” Zuko groaned. But the second he shifted again, his hand slipped and he slipped off the branch. He landed in a bush, luckily, but the impact still knocked the wind out of him and did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> do anything good for the hole in his side or his broken ribs. The firebender cried out in agony as he hit the ground, and just laid on the bush for a moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, he forced himself to stand up. He clutched the trunk of the tree for support, legs shaking as his head spun. Zuko tried his best to force himself to move, but he couldn’t. He collapsed with a groan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I failed</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought bitterly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>All I had to do was get food, but I’m too pathetic to even do that properly</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His head swam, his whole body was drenched in sweat, and he shivered violently. All he could think about was how angry Katara was going to be. Shivers wracked Zuko’s body again, and before everything went dark, Zuko’s last thought was that he would deserve whatever punishment they were going to give him. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ahhh thank you so much for reading! Leave a kudos if you enjoyed, and I really appreciate your thoughts and comments! Thank you!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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